N/A: I do not own NCIS or it's characters. Episode tag for Dog Tag; some spoilers.
LIFE OR DEATH
It was the surprise and shock that got him; because who in their right mind expected a Germen Sheppard to come flying out the back door. Yes, their suspect/witness was a military K9 trainer, but still, he was caught off guard.
He was confident as he held his sig. trained on the sliding open backdoor, the sheet that covered the inside billowed with the wind.
"Covered, boss; back door open." Tim said into the mic. in the cuff of the sleeve.
Not seconds later McGee faintly heard the front door being kicked in. And then a big dog leaped from behind the sheet that covered the backdoor. The first thing that the dog touched was the part between shoulder and neck, even before the body knocked him to the ground. As the furry body hit his chest knocking him to the ground, Tim's gun was knocked from his hands, and the jarring effected the hold the dog had on his neck, giving him enough time to insert his left fore arm between the dog and his neck; the animal gladly took the replacement.
As the dog gnawed his arm, it didn't hurt hard enough to yell, just grunt. And if the witness/suspect was inside, he did not want to flag that there was a man down. Tim searched frantically for his runaway gun, spotting it a few feet away.
He had a choice to make now.
Did he want to grab the gun and shoot the dog; that was the only way he figured he would be able to get the animal off? And he was a dog lover; Tim had been looking for a dog lately; now with a sizable apartment that was doable. Or maybe he would just be able to injure it. Either way he knew that if Abby ever found out; he would be dead anyway. And Tony would never let him live this down.
And his other choice was to let the dog rip him to shreds, dying at the young age of 29; never married, no children, no retirement and white picket fence. All his dreams into the grave, limb by limb. Or his team could hurry up and save him, but than he would be humiliated by that and it would be another thing that Tony DiNozzo would never let him live down.
He would rather live and have Abby hate him, than be ripped to shreds by an animal he loved. He wanted to finish his career as a Special Agent and live as a husband, father, and grandparent. Watch his beautiful wife grow old as his children grew up, to hold his new born baby girl in his arms and spoiler her silly.
He didn't care if it was every-man's dream, because it was also his dream. And he would achieve it, even if he were to live with the total hatred of forensic scientist Abigail Scuito.
Tim reached frantically for his gun, his finger tips barely touching the grip. He used his feet to push him what little strength he could spare mm by mm. Finely closing the space just enough, he grabbed the grip. He had no idea where he pointed it, just that it was in the chewing dog's direction; he pulled the trigger. A yelp came forth as the bullet hit home, and the dogs weight was no more.
He scrambled away from the injured canine, his gun gripped tight incase the animal decided to go for round two. He held his injured arm close to his chest; his jacket and shirt were torn and bloody, and his arm and neck were killing him now that he had the time to pay attention to his injuries.
Special Agent Timothy McGee didn't think he would have man's best friend in his white picket fence dream after all.
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